Washington (AFP) – A government watchdog fired suddenly by Donald Trump was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said a Democratic lawmaker who accused the president of committing a potentially illegal act of retribution. The State Department confirmed the late Friday dismissal of Inspector General Steve Linick without giving a reason for his departure.Eliot Engel, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had learned that Linick had opened an investigation into Pompeo.”Mr. Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation,” t…